Last updated: March 2025
Torslanda School is a newly built elementary school (years 0-6) where the schoolyard includes innovative ways to manage rainwater. The school was initially part of the Rain Gothenburg project, which aims to make the city, and this school, the best in the world when it rains. It was also a pilot project within the city's "equal building" initiative, aiming to make indoor and outdoor environments accessible and attractive to everyone regardless of gender identity, functional diversity or age [Ref. 1]. The main element of the schoolyard is a "river" to which water will be led when it rains, combining stormwater management with opportunities for play and education. The system will retain about 310 m3 of water and treat it before releasing it to a recipient. The river will be used to teach the children about climate, ecology, biodiversity and the water cycle. The river and schoolyard are connected to a natural wetland [Ref. 3, 4]. The school is run by the City of Gothenburg, who initiated the project, employing an architecture firm and a construction company to design and build the school and schoolyard [Ref. 3-5].
The finished river, where water will flow during rainfall
https://goteborg.se/wps/portal/aktuelltarkivet/aktuellt/c703ab1d-2eb8-45ab-ba2d-ed11674caaa4
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Green areas for water management
- Rain gardens
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Green playgrounds and school grounds
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Urban flooding (stormwater)
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Disconnection from nature
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation)
Focus
Creation of semi-natural blue areas, Implementation of green areas for water management (e.g. rain gardens)
Project objectives
The overarching goal of the NBS part of the project is to create "the world's best school when it rains". This is defined by the following subgoals:
- Stall and treat stormwater locally
- Use stormwater playfully and as a pedagogical resource
- Use stormwater in art pieces
- Strengthen the ecological dimension
- Contribute to the value of the surfaces when it rains
- Make solutions visible and inspiring
[Ref. 3]
Implementation activities
1. The idea to build a new school was formed in 2016 based on an increased number of students and staff.
2. A plan was made public in 2019 to build a new school on the site of the old school and to make it the best school in the world when it rains, utilising the rain as a resource. The main aspect was part of the Rain Gothenburg initiative of the city's 400-year celebration [Ref. 3, 5].
3. The zoning plan for the area had to be changed to allow construction. That process involves the consultation of stakeholders such as local residents. The updated plan was approved in 2020 [Ref. 8].
4. Architecture firm LINK Arkitektur won the bid to design the school [Ref. 4].
5. Construction company Veidekke started the construction project in 2021 [Ref. 5].
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Implement sustainable urban drainage schemes to manage stormwater
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
- Young people and children
- Marginalized groups: Children, young people or youth groups , Women, People with functional diversities
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
- Public sector institution
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The school is part of the City of Gothenburg, which initiated, planned and financed the project. The city set the specific goals of the project, such as making it the "best school in the world when it rains" and making it an equal building pilot project [Ref. 1-3]. At least two private companies were involved in the implementation: LINK Arkitektur, who designed the school and schoolyard, and the construction company Veidekke, who built it [Ref. 4, 5]. During the planning process and changing of the zoning plan, a consultation phase was held involving stakeholders such as local residents [Ref. 8].
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The project was part of the Rain Gothenburg project, which can be said to be a strategy regarding water management and climate adaptation. Planning documents also refer to more specific planning guidance regarding stormwater retention [Ref. 3, 8] )
Type of enablers
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved water quality
- Achieved improved water quality
- Increased protection against flooding
- Achieved increased protection against flooding
- Improved stormwater management
- Achieved improved stormwater management
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Achieved improved access to urban green space
- Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Expected increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Achieved gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Education
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
City of Gothenburg (n.d.). Torslandaskolan - nybyggnad. Accessed on September 18, 2024, [Source link];
2.
City of Gothenburg (2024). Torslandaskolan F-6 laddar för en regnig höst. Accessed on September 18, 2024, [Source link];
3.
City of Gothenburg (2019). Nybyggnation av Torslandaskolan F-6. [Source link];
4.
LINK Arkitektur (n.d.). Världens bästa skola när det regnar. Accessed on September 18, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Veidekke (2021). Veidekke bygger Torslandaskolan, världens bästa skola när det regnar. Accessed on September 18, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Johansson, H. (2021). Nya skolan försenas igen – ”Vågar inte säga att eleverna får tillträde”. Hela Hisingen, Accessed on September 18, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning (n.d.). Segregationsbarometern: Göteborg. Accessed on September 18, 2024, [Source link];
8.
City of Gothenburg (2020). Ändring av detaljplan II-3301 för Torslandaskolan, inom stadedelen Torslanda i Göteborg. [Source link];
Illustration of the schoolyard "river" during rainfall
https://www.veidekke.se/aktuellt/pressmeddelanden/veidekke-bygger-torslandaskolan-varldens-basta-skola-nar-det-regnar/
Illustration of the schoolyard from the planning stage.
Ref. 8
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.